First Loves:  Vol 2
by CelticX
Summary: A longish Yumi/Sachiko songfic.  Re-edited and re-posted as 4 chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A longish, one-shot, Sachiko/Yumi songfic. Re-edited into chapters. Thanks to XnoXnameX for the recommendation.

First Loves: Vol. 2

"Ouch, that's going to leave a mark!" Yumi Fukuzawa exclaimed as she started rubbing her shin where she had inadvertently contacted the table leg in the meeting room of the Rose Mansion.

Sachiko Ogasawara sighed and brushed a stray lock of her long, silky, blue-black hair behind her ear as her petite soeur once again proved just how clumsy she could be. Yumi had matured so much in her two and a half years at Lillian and had proven to be an exceptional Rosa Chinensis in her own right. She was adored by her fellow students, praised by the teachers and administration of the Academy, and dearly loved by her friends and fellow members of the Yamayurikai. The one thing she seemed incapable of outgrowing was her tendency to be accident prone. Sachiko found it hard sometimes remembering a day when Yumi did not sport a bruise or two somewhere on her body.

And since they had declared their love for each other in the summer of Yumi's second year, Sachiko's third at the high school, Sachiko had ample opportunity to spend many glorious hours gazing at and admiring the younger girl's youthful, girlish curves and tenderly touching that soft and sensitive skin. Now that Yumi was a senior and Sachiko was in the middle of her first year at Lillian University, the two had not had as many opportunities to see each other on a regular basis, so Sachiko truly cherished the times when the two could get together for an afternoon or evening of fun.

Today's plan was to go shopping after completion of the daily student council meeting. Sachiko had gotten out of class early and had decided to join her petite soeur so that they could leave directly after the end of the meeting. The other members of the Yamayurikai had just bid their farewells and Yumi had been gathering together the paperwork that was the bane of all student council meetings when she had banged her shin.

"Are you alright Yumi?" Sachiko asked with her usual concern for the health and safety of her petite soeur.

"I'm fine onee-sama. Just being my usual, klutzy self. Let me get the rest of my things and we can head out," Yumi replied.

"Were you planning on shopping for anything in particular today Yumi," asked Sachiko as she watched her lover limp around the table towards her.

"Well, I need to look for a ball gown and I was really hoping that you would help me find one that you would approve of," Yumi said shyly.

"A ball gown? Certainly I can help you. I know a few stores that have some absolutely wonderful gowns that probably even have some in your price range, or you can even borrow one of my older ones if you don't want to spend the money, but may I ask why you would need one?"

Yumi answered the question as they headed down the squeaky stairs of the Rose Mansion and headed towards the main gates of the school and Sachiko's car.

"Um, you may have heard that this year Hanadera has asked for our help in putting together a joint Lillian/Hanadera Christmas Ball. The administrations and student councils of both schools have approved it, so it looks like it's a go. Unfortunately, I need to have a gown to attend and I have been told that skipping the event is not an acceptable option.

"Actually," Yumi continued in a softer and more tentative voice, looking up through her eyelashes at Sachiko with a sense of quiet desperation, "I was kind of hoping that you would like to go with me onee-sama, if that's alright with you?"

"Yumi," Sachiko sighed in feigned exasperation, "whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Oneeee-samaaa!" Yumi whined and Sachiko could not control her giggles.

"Of course I will go with you silly!" she said with a look of deep affection for the young girl with deep brown eyes and that still wore her hair in pigtails.

"Thank you onee-sama," Yumi breathed a sigh of relief, "I did _not_ want to end up having to ask Yuuki to be my date! That would have been just way too embarrassing! Having to go with my _brother_? Ugh!"

Sachiko couldn't help but laugh at the expense of her dear petite soeur. Since she had met this wonderful girl her days had been filled with so much more joy and laughter than the first sixteen years of her life. She sometimes wondered what her life would have been like if she had never met Yumi. A cold shiver of fear streaked down her spine just at the thought. At the very least she knew that she would most likely still be affianced to her cousin Suguru Kashiwagi rather than free to choose her own path in life as she was today.

It had been due solely to Yumi's influence that Sachiko had gathered the courage to face her father and grandfather and tell them in no uncertain terms that she would never marry the man. With Yumi standing by her side she had threatened to never provide them with an heir if they forced her to go through with that sham of a marriage. She had further informed them that she and Yumi would be together and that they planned to adopt as soon as they were both secure in their jobs after attending college. With Suguru having already publicly broken off the engagement, and both Sachiko's mother and grandmother behind them, the men had had no choice but to accede to her demands if they wanted the Ogasawara Zaibatsu to continue to remain in the hands of the family.

Her mother, Sayako, had been beside herself with happiness that Sachiko had finally stood up to the family patriarchs and taken control of her own life. And she was just as overjoyed that she would be able to call Yumi her daughter. Sayako had witnessed first-hand the extreme and positive changes in Sachiko since she had met Yumi and she loved the girl all the more for how happy she made her only child.

As they approached the statue of Maria-sama, they slowed and stopped a moment to say their traditional prayers. Sachiko had taken to reciting the same prayer every time she passed by the statue: _Maria-sama, thank you again for bringing Yumi into my life. I humbly ask you to please watch over her and keep her from harm. Amen._

The two Rosa Chinensis, one current and one former, looked lovingly at each other with gentle smiles and turned towards the main gates of the school and the fancy red sports car that awaited them.

As they walked down the sidewalk of the shopping district skipping from one high-class store to another Yumi was her normal happy and laughing self. She was with her beautiful, raven haired Sachiko, walking hand-in-hand with the woman that looked like a model and acted like a princess. And those sapphire eyes were gazing only at Yumi that afternoon. She felt like she could die happy right then, but that would mean missing out on so much time with the girl she loved and who, for some unknown reason, loved her back just as much.

At Sachiko's direction Yumi tried on dress after dress and gown after gown, most of which she could never in her lifetime afford, but it made her onee-sama happy. The only real problem was that her shin still hurt and she had had to change the small bandages twice to be sure to keep any blood off of the dresses. She was still limping a bit, but she was having too much fun to give it any thought. In the end, however, she was disappointed that she in not finding any dresses that she really wanted to take home with her.

Since there was over three months until the actual ball she was in no hurry and wanted to be able to find just the right dress that would knock Sachiko's socks off. The one thing that the shopping trip had done for her was to give her an idea of what kind of dress Sachiko liked. Of the ones that Yumi modeled for her she seemed to like spaghetti straps, cleavage, and form fitting. Whether that kind of dress was appropriate for the ball or not, Yumi didn't really care. She was more concerned with what her lover liked than what anyone else thought. The fact that Sachiko seemed entranced by her body and wanted to see more of it gave Yumi goose bumps.

Yumi agreed to meet Sachiko on Friday two weeks later so that the two could head to the Ogasawara estate and look through some of Sachiko's older gowns and dresses that might have a chance of fitting the much more petite girl. As the chauffeured town car that Sachiko had sent dropped her off at the front door to the mansion Yumi grinned to see Sachiko standing in the open doorway waiting for her, a smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eyes. Yumi could easily read the other girl's mind: _I get to see Yumi naked! And in my own bed room yet!_ It was so obvious that Yumi was laughing at her grande soeur by the time she reached the entryway and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Yumi, what are you laughing about," Sachiko asked her with a quizzical look on her face.

"Nothing onee-sama. I'm just really happy to see you." At least it wasn't a lie.

The two girls walked back towards the family wing of the mansion and headed directly to Sachiko's bedroom, giggling and laughing the entire way.

Entering the room where she had spent many wonderful nights sleeping next to her lover, Yumi found that Sachiko had brought in an entire clothes rack filled with dresses of every kind, length and color for her to try on.

"Sachiko," she gasped, "there must be twenty or thirty dresses here. I can't try on all of these!"

"No complaining Yumi. I've already spoken to your parents and they have agreed that you can spend the night here with me so that we can take our time. I just hope that one of these will fit you well enough. If you like it enough, I can have our seamstress tailor it to fit you."

"Onee-sama, that's going too far," Yumi complained. "I am happy to spend the night. I even think I left a toothbrush, pajamas and a change of clothes here last time. But I insist on paying for any tailoring that may be needed. Deal?"

Sachiko sighed in resignation. When Yumi got like this there was no changing her mind. "Fine, Yumi, you can pay for any necessary adjustments, but . . . let's first try them on and see if there are any that you like, alright," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Sachiko," Yumi grinned. Her onee-sama was learning.

The two started thumbing through the rack of dresses, pulling out those that immediately caught Yumi's eye to try them on. Sachiko locked the bedroom door and Yumi started to undress. Sachiko sat in her one truly comfortable reading chair and watched as her lover slowly pulled her t-shirt over her head to reveal a lacy white bra that barely covered her small but well rounded breasts. Yumi glanced over at her with a smirk as she knew her lover would be feasting her eyes on her body. She then unzipped her jeans and started to ever so slowly pull them down over her hips. Beads of sweat started to form on Sachiko's forehead as she watched this tantalizing strip tease. She could almost hear sexy music playing in her mind as Yumi's hips swayed and she peeled the jeans down her slender and tight little rump. The sight of a tiny white thong that perfectly matched the tiny white bra had her catching her breath as her heart started to pound.

"You . . . little . . . minx, quit teasing me," Sachiko gasped as Yumi finally stepped out of her jeans and slowly walked over to where Sachiko sat; standing in front of her, one hand on her hip while the other reached out and softly caressed Sachiko's cheek.

"What's the matter Sachiko? You've seen me in my underwear before." Yumi trailed a finger down Sachiko's throat and then back up to run teasingly around her ear. "Are you warm? It seems that you're sweating a bit. Here, let me help," she whispered and leaned over to gently lick away the sweat from her forehead making sure that Sachiko had a good view down her (admittedly very slight) cleavage.

"Y-Yumi?"

"Yes, onee-sama. Was there something you wanted?" she asked in her best Stevie Nicks voice that she knew from experience had a dazzling effect on her lover.

Sachiko reached out and grabbed Yumi around the waist and, with a squeak from the shorter girl, pulled her into her lap so that Yumi's legs were on either side of her own. She slid her hands down Yumi's sides so that she could grab a double handful of Yumi's rear end and then captured those soft, luscious lips that were bare inches from her own. Yumi responded by throwing her arms around Sachiko's neck and deepening the kiss, sucking on Sachiko's tongue and running her hands through the taller girls long tresses. By the time they broke the kiss so that they could breathe again, they were both sweating from the exertions.

"If we keep this up, Sachiko, I won't ever get a chance to try on those dresses," Yumi said in a thready voice, still trying to pull air into her lungs.

"That's true, but I'm wondering if we couldn't put it off just a little longer?" Sachiko replied with a giggle. Yumi joined in on the giggling but pushed herself off Sachiko's lap, which of course caused her onee-sama's slightly swollen red lips to come together into the cutest pout. Yumi relented just a bit and gave her soeur a quick kiss before she danced back towards the bed and the first of the five dresses she had pulled out to try on.

She turned and glanced at Sachiko over her shoulder with a shy little grin that promised more "fun" later. Sachiko returned the grin and stood to help her get into the long gown.

"So you're sure you like the light blue one onee-sama?" Yumi asked much later as she hung up the dress in question, a slinky sky-blue evening gown with spaghetti straps, a modest v-neck, and an open back that went down to just below the small of her back. The only adjustment it would need would be some slight hemming. (Sachiko pointedly did not tell Yumi that the last time she had worn the dress she had only been thirteen years old.) The material had clung to Yumi almost like a second skin but had been so soft and comfortable. Sachiko had almost been drooling when she had done a slow pirouette so that she could see the entire effect.

It had been a long evening with only a short break for dinner with Sachiko's parents and then back to the room to finish trying on the last of the gowns. Yumi stifled a yawn even though it was only a little after ten o'clock. She had been getting really tired lately after just a little bit of exercise. She would have to talk to Yuuki about how to build up her stamina if she intended to be able to dance all night with Sachiko.

"Yes, Yumi, I really like that one on you," Sachiko replied with a grin. "It really shows off the beauty of your skin and goes well with both your eyes and your hair. You will have to wear your hair down since the dress just does not show properly with pigtails, but we can get you styled the morning of the ball. I also have some jewelry that I think would look lovely on you. I promise you that you will be the envy of everyone there"

"Not likely Sachiko, since you will also be there. You always look so beautiful when you wear a gown. I know I could never compete; however," she said with a playful grin, "since I also know that it is me that you will be going home with, I don't mind in the least."

Sachiko walked over and took Yumi into her arms and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "And I know that no matter what you say, you will be with the prettiest girl in the room. Now, why don't you go take a shower while I have someone put the rest of these away again? We can have one of the maids take the necessary measurements in the morning and we can go to bed. How does that sound?"

"It sounds fine, Sachiko, although it would be even better if you joined me in the shower," Yumi started purring but, unfortunately, was interrupted by another yawn. "I'm so sorry Sachiko, I can't seem to stop yawning."

Sachiko grinned and turned Yumi towards the bathroom door and got her moving with a gentle push. "Get going and I will join you as soon as I get someone to take these dresses away. I shouldn't be more than a minute behind you."

"Promise?" Yumi asked while covering her mouth again.

"I promise. Now get going. The sooner we're clean, the sooner we can get to bed."

"Ok, onee-sama."

It took a little longer than a minute to have a servant start to remove the remaining dresses, but not much, and when Sachiko joined Yumi in the shower the two lovers enjoyed themselves immensely. Sachiko never knew how erotic liquid body wash and a loofa could be.

Leaving the bathroom Yumi went almost immediately to her purse and pulled out a small bottle of liquid bandage and started applying it to a small spot on her shin.

"Did you cut yourself Yumi?" Sachiko asked when she noticed what Yumi was doing.

"Just a little a while ago onee-sama. It is nothing to be concerned about," Yumi replied with another yawn, "I just wanted to make sure that it did not bleed again; certainly not on your sheets.

Sachiko walked over and peered at the small spot that was quickly being covered with the liquid bandage. "Isn't that the same spot where you hurt your leg before our last shopping trip?"

"Yeah, it just doesn't want to seem to close up entirely. I keep knocking the scab off. It's my own fault and nothing to be concerned about," Yumi replied with another stifled yawn.

But Sachiko _was_ concerned; concerned enough that, first thing the next morning, after she had seen Yumi off with the family chauffer, she called the Fukuzawa residence and asked to speak to Miki, Yumi's mother. She and Miki had gotten along famously after they had first met at the Lillian sports festival Yumi's second year at school and the two had started to develop a great rapport with each other. When she and Yumi had confessed about true nature of their love for each other, Miki had been the very first to give her a hug and congratulate the pair. However, Sachiko knew she was going to be testing their relationship this morning.

"Miki-okaasan," Sachiko spoke in a calm voice when Miki got on the phone, "I have a favor to ask you . . ."

_SaraBeth is scared to death to hear what the doctor will say_

_She hasn't been well since the day that she fell and the bruise it just won't go away_

_So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad and flips through an old magazine_

'_Til the nurse with the smile stands by the door and says "Will you please come with me?"_


	2. Chapter 2

"I still don't know what I'm doing here, Mom," Yumi complained with a pout.

"You've been getting overly tired lately so I just want to get you checked out," Miki explained patiently for the third time. "It's possible you picked up a bug or contracted mononucleosis, or something similar. Your college entrance exams are coming up in a few months so it's better to get it checked out now before it starts to affect your studying."

"Fine, fine, Mom," Yumi said with exasperation. "I think it's all the studying I've been doing that is making me tired, especially when you add in the extra work load the Yamayurikai has been having to do recently. It's no wonder that I'm tired all the time."

"Then the doctor will be able to tell us that and maybe give you something that will help," her father Yuichiro said.

"You know I don't like to depend on drugs, Dad. I'll listen to what he has to say and let him do his poking and prodding and testing," Yumi finally relented, "but I'm sure he'll just tell me to get more rest."

"Besides, you haven't had a physical checkup since your first year at Lillian so it will be good to get an updated baseline" her father said.

"Ok, ok."

She picked up a magazine and started leafing through it, not really reading, just not wanting to argue with her parents anymore.

"Fukuzawa Yumi," the nurse called with a patented smile pasted onto her face. The three stood up and started gathering their things.

"Dad, would you mind waiting here for a bit," Yumi asked, "at least until the doctor is finished with his examination," she added with a slight blush.

"Sure Yumi, just be sure to call me when he's done so I can be there for any discussion," he said with a smile.

"I will, Dad," she said gratefully.

"If you will please come with me," the nurse asked.

The two Fukuzawa women headed back to the examination room. The nurse had Yumi strip to her panties and put on an exam gown after checking her height and weight and then taking her temperature. Once Yumi had changed she checked Yumi's pulse and blood pressure, marked the results on her chart and then told them that the doctor would be with them shortly. They waited another ten minutes before the doctor knocked and entered.

"Ah, Yumi-chan, it's been a while. How have you been doing?" Dr. Watanabe asked with his typical cheerful countenance as he shut the door and sat on a short stool. He opened the chart he had taken off the front of the door before he entered and did a quick review of her stats while Yumi answered.

"I think I've been doing fine, Watanabe-sensei," she said with a bit of exasperation, "but Mom and Dad decided they wanted me to get checked out. They think I've been getting too tired here recently."

"Hmmm, college entrance exams are starting soon aren't they?" he commented, "have you been staying up late studying? Do you think you have been getting enough sleep?"

"I have been studying hard," she admitted, "and the student council work has been rough recently as well, but not much more than normal; but I've always been a hard studier and I've been a member of the Yamayurikai, our student council, for almost two years now; so not much has changed over that period."

"Mmm hmm," he mumbled an acknowledgment, "Ok, let's take a look at you then," he said as he took his stethoscope from around his neck and fit the earpieces. He stood up and walked around behind where she sat on the examination table and placed the chestpiece against her back asking her to take a few deep breaths. He then reached under her gown and did the same to her chest above her breasts. While there he also listened to her heart. He then checked her eyes, ears and throat before checking her reflexes.

"What about this cut Yumi?" he asked.

"Oh, that's just something that happened a while ago. I keep knocking the scab off so I keep some liquid bandage on it.

"Mmm hmm," he said while making a note on her chart.

He used a medical swab to take a throat culture and, with the assistance of his nurse, drew several (quite a few in Yumi's opinion) vials of blood for testing. Finally, he handed her a small cup with a lid attached to it by a small piece of plastic. "You know what to do with this?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes, Watanabe-sensei," Yumi replied with a giggle.

"That's good," he chuckled. "You can get dressed when you come back."

"Thank you sensei," Yumi said. The nurse showed her to the restroom and, within a few minutes, she returned to the examination room with a urine sample. "I'm real glad I drank some water before we came," she told her Mom with a smile. "Did you want to go get Dad now?"

"Sure," Miki grinned as she stood up, "I'll go get him and bring him back. You get dressed quickly."

Miki opened the door and quickly left while Yumi started getting dressed again. It didn't take her long and her parents returned shortly after she finished. They only had to wait another three minutes or so before the doctor returned. He shook Yumi's father's hand in greeting before taking his stool again and looking at Yumi.

"Alright young lady, it is probably just fatigue induced by anemia, but I'm going to run a few tests anyway to rule out anything else. I should be able to let you know something within twenty-four hours. In the mean time I want you to take the rest of the day off and go home and rest. Have your mom fix you a decent meal," he said with a smile for Miki knowing that the woman was actually a great cook if Yumi's and Yuuki's previous exams and discussions said anything, "and then go to bed. You can go to school as normal tomorrow, just be sure not to overdo it, alright?"

"Yes, Watanabe-sensei," Yumi agreed with a shy smile.

"Good. I or my nurse will call in the results of the lab tests sometime tomorrow."

"Thank you sensei," the three said as he stood up and shook their hands.

As they were leaving Yuichiro suddenly hit his forehead, "Please excuse me for a second," he told his wife and daughter, "I forgot to tell Watanabe-sensei about the charity golf tournament next weekend. He would probably be interested in playing. I'll meet you both at the car."

Yumi and her mother watched with smiles on their faces as he hurried away before turning to each other and saying at the same time, "Golf!", before they started laughing.

Yumi felt almost like her old self when she woke up the next morning and started getting ready for school. She greeted her brother Yuuki as he sat at the breakfast table with a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice while her mother was cooking up some eggs at the kitchen stove. Yumi gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and poured herself a glass of orange juice while breakfast was being prepared.

"How's everything going over at Hanadera, Yuuki," she asked her brother as she stole a piece of his toast and started munching.

Yuuki sighed in resignation and took another swig of his juice. "So far so good. Everything seems to be on track for the Lillian/Hanadera ball. Kashiwagi-san agreed to help us book the ballroom at one of the largest hotels in the area while Alice is lining up the orchestra."

"Orchestra? I thought we agreed on a band," Yumi exclaimed.

"We took a poll of the students and they all agreed that it should be a small orchestra versus a rock band," Yumi explained, "If you want to raise the question, I can bring it up again at today's meeting, but you might want to take the same poll at Lillian. I bet you get the same results we did. It was almost four to one for the orchestra. It seems 'ball' equals 'orchestra' in everyone's minds."

"Huh, I see what you mean," Yumi nodded, "I guess 'band' does sounds more like a dance or an American sock-hop rather than a formal ball. OK, I'll let them know at today's meeting and if they want to run the poll we can, but otherwise we'll go with the orchestra. I'll let you know what they say when I get home."

"Sounds good," Yuuki said around a forkful of eggs.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Yumi admonished him. "What kind of manners are they teaching you over at Hanadera?"

"Obviously not the same level of manners as they are teaching you at Lillian," Yuuki grinned so that the eggs covered his teeth.

"Ugh. Just eat caveman," Yumi laughed.

Yumi finished up her breakfast quickly, thanking her mom before she headed out to the bus stop and the ride that would take her to school.

Walking down the cobbled path from the gates of Lillian to the statue of Maria-sama, Yumi greeted a number of students with a slight nod of her head in response to their calls of "Good day Rosa Chinensis". She had learned from her onee-sama that greeting everyone verbally had a tendency to lead to discussions which had a tendency to lead to her being late for class. So she limited herself to only a slight nod in response to each greeting. She said her brief prayer when she reached the statue of Maria-sama and continued on to her class room, still nodding left and right to the seemingly multitude of students that wanted to say "hi".

Her neck felt stiff by the time she sat (gracefully of course) at her desk and started to pull out her text books and notes.

"Good day, Yumi-san," she heard a cheerful voice say behind her. She turned around and noted the presence of her two good friends and fellow Yamayurikai member Yoshino Shimazu, the current Rosa Foetida, closely followed by the Rosa Gigantea, Shimako Todou, who also greeted Yumi with her usual serene smile but with a real twinkle of happiness in her eyes.

Yoshino was the current Rosa Foetida and had as her trademark a pair of long braids that hung down to her waist even as they draped over her shoulders. She had joined the kendo club after she had undergone heart surgery her first year at Lillian to repair a congenital heart defect, a hole in the walls of her heart. Her originally slender and weak body had become much more athletic since then and she also had much more energy.

Shimako, the current Rosa Gigantea, was the angel of Lillian. Her long wavy light-brown/dark-blonde hair was the envy of just about every student at Lillian (and not a few of the teachers and administrative personnel) while her angelic face always sported a serene and peaceful smile that seemed to bring joy and happiness to everyone that saw her. Her grande soeur, Sei Satou, had graduated two years ago. She was attending Lillian University just like Sachiko so it was not unusual to see her wandering around the high school campus some afternoons.

"Good day Yoshino-san, Shimako-san. I hope you are well. I believe we have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, do we not?"

"You are correct Yumi-san," Shimako agreed.

"Could I please get you two to please do me a favor?" Yumi asked her dearest friends. "Yuuki informed me that the students at Hanadera have overwhelmingly voted to have a small orchestra provide the music for the ball rather than a rock band as we had originally thought."

"An orchestra?" Yoshino exclaimed, "How is an orchestra going to play the latest pop music?"

"Maybe they could find an orchestra that also has some electric guitars, drums and keyboards? Anyway, would you please think about it and give me your own thoughts on the matter before the meeting gets started. He said that we could poll of our own students if we wanted to, but anticipated that the results would most likely be the same."

"I think an orchestra would be wonderful," Shimako said, "but I understand what Yoshino is saying as well. Many of the students might want to dance to more modern music that an orchestra just would not be able to play properly. A combination orchestra might be the best bet."

"Yeah," Yoshino agreed vociferously, "what she said."

Yumi sighed. "Let's bring it up at the meeting then and see what Noriko-chan, Touko-chan, and Nana-can think. I just thought it would be a good idea if we already had our own thoughts ready or, maybe some solutions if questions are raised."

"No, it is a good idea Yumi-san," Yoshino agreed thoughtfully for once. "I have to agree that when I think of a formal ball, the first thing that pops into my mind is an orchestra, but maybe your idea for a combination orchestra would make everyone happy," she said nodding.

"Thank you both," Yumi replied, "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Yoshino said while Shimako also agreed to consider the matter.

Throughout the discussion Yumi had been hearing the soft click of a camera shutter, so when Yoshino and Shimako went to take their own seats, Yumi turned around and greeted the "Ace" photographer of Lillian, Tsutako Takashima. The girl behind the camera lens had short dark hair and a pair of rimless glasses that covered her dark grey eyes. She was probably one of Yumi's absolutely best friends of anyone that was not a member of the Yamayurikai. She was one of the first to befriend Yumi when she arrived at Lillian's high school division and had stood by her throughout the ups and downs of her early relationship with Sachiko. Yumi had cried on her shoulder more than once her first year at school, but Tsutako had always remained by her side with a friendly smile and, usually, good advice.

"Good morning Tsutako-san," Yumi said with a big smile for the camera, "I hope that we were able to give you a couple of good photos for your collection," she giggled.

Tsutako, smiled at Yumi over the top of her camera as she pushed the shutter button again to capture that giggling face. "You always give me wonderful photo ops Yumi-san. You are still my favorite subject, especially now that Sachiko-sama has graduated."

"I am very happy that I am providing entertainment for at least one person at this school," Yumi laughed

"So, what's up Yumi-san? You seem to be more chipper today than you have been recently. Did you and Sachiko-sama 'get some' last night?" Tsutako asked with an evil grin.

"Tsutako-san!" Yumi squeaked, "I'll have you know that the only thing that I 'got' last night was a decent night's sleep for once. I guess it's been a while since that happened, because I am feeling very much better today, thank you."

"Very well," Tsutako smiled at her friend, "Just promise me not to overdo it. We don't need you collapsing from exhaustion like you did your first year, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," Yumi replied with a smile and a smart solute which, of course, Tsutako somehow captured on her camera.

The morning classes seemed to fly by for Yumi since she was in such a good mood. When lunchtime arrived the three members of the Yamayurikai headed to the Rose Mansion to enjoy their lunches in relative peace. When they arrived it was to find their petite soeurs, Noriko, Touko, and Nana, along with an assistant to the Yamayurikai, Hiromi-san, preparing tea to go along with their lunches. Yumi had met Hiromi-san on the first day of school of her second year at Lillian when the beauty with waist length, strawberry blonde hair and the body and looks of a super model had arrived as a rare second-year transfer student. Hiromi-san had proven to be not only an indispensible aid to the council, but had become one of the best and most trustworthy friends the girls of the rose families had ever met.

"Good day Rosa Chinensis, Rosa Foetida, Rosa Gigantea. I hope that the day is finding you well?" Hiromi asked,

"Fairly well, Hiromi-san," Yumi answered with a smile, "and good day to you as well. Is everything progressing with the plans for the ball?"

"Of course, Yumi-san," Hiromi answered with a grin while pouring her a cup of black tea, "Alice-chan called earlier to let us know that Kashiwagi-san had booked the Tokyo Grand Hotel in Minato-ku for the event. Their ballroom is large enough to accommodate the number of attendees we are anticipating. There is also a banquet facility as well as a restaurant and a coffee shop, so food should not be an issue. Alice also mentioned that the tickets are going to be printed up next week – two per student as we agreed. The students will each get one for themselves as well as one for a guest. Since their names will be printed on both tickets, and the student themselves must be in attendance for the guest ticket to be used, there should be no chance for the usual trading of event tickets as typically happens at the school festival. This way there will be no chance for any unescorted outsiders to crash the ball."

Yumi nodded her thanks. "As usual, you are on top of everything Hiromi-san. I don't know what we would ever have done without you."

"I think I answered that question once before, Yumi-san," Hiromi answered with a cheeky grin, "I believe I said that you would fall apart at the first opportunity. You would be up a creek without a paddle. You would . . ."

"Alright, alright, I give," Yumi laughed, "thank you again for all that you do."

"It has always been my pleasure, Yumi-san," the blonde beauty replied with an exaggerated bow causing Yumi to giggle again.

While they ate their lunch, Yumi once told the petite soeurs about the Hanadera council's change in plans regarding the music for the ball. They discussed the options briefly and decided that Yumi's suggestion for a combination orchestra was best and that they would present their recommendation at the next opportunity. With this compromise, no polling of the Lillian students would be necessary and Yumi thought that Yuuki would easily go along with the change.

She was just finishing up her lunch when they heard a brief knock on the door and Sachiko entered the room.

"Onee-sama," she exclaimed with a big smile, "This is a wonderful surprise. What brings you here today?"

"I have come to pick you up, Yumi. Your parents called and they wanted to have me bring you home," Sachiko said with a slight frown.

"Is everything alright? No one's hurt?" Yumi asked with concern shining from her eyes.

"Your mother didn't say," Sachiko responded to her petite soeur in a calm and soothing voice, "but I heard your father in the background and Yuuki is waiting for us at the car, so I assume everyone is fine."

"And mom didn't say why?" Yumi asked as she gathered her things together.

"No more than just asking me to pick you up and bring you home. She did not sound upset, but she gave me no indications as to the reason," Sachiko told her.

"Alright onee-sama, I'm ready. Please excuse us everyone. Hiromi-san, could you please call Alice back and let her . . . I mean him, know the decision on the orchestra? And Yoshino-san, could I borrow your notes from this afternoon's classes?"

"Of course" they both answered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you Yumi-san?" Hiromi asked.

"Not that I can think of," Yumi replied with a soft smile, "I promise to let you know if I need anything."

"I'll hold you to that, Yumi-san," Hiromi said with a grin.

"Thanks everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow," Yumi said with a wave as she and Sachiko exited the meeting room.

_SaraBeth is scared to death cause the doctor just told her the news_

_Between the red cells and white something's not right but we're going to take care of you_

_Six chances in ten it won't come back again with the therapy we're gonna try_

_It's just been approved, it's the strongest there is, and I think we caught it in time_

_SaraBeth closes her eyes_


	3. Chapter 3

Yumi lay awake in the darkness of her bedroom staring at the ceiling and the rectangle of yellow light that was coming from the street lamp outside her window. She was still somewhat in shock with the results of her blood tests from the previous day. The doctor had tried to explain exactly what it was that was wrong, but she seemed to have lost everything that he said after she heard the word "leukemia". It explained the lethargy she had been feeling recently as well as the bruising and the slow healing of the cut on her shin that she had received over two weeks earlier. It also explained the recent aches and pains she had begun feeling in her joints after spending too long sitting or standing in one place.

She had been surprised when she had seen Watanabe-sensei sitting on her couch when she, Yuuki, and Sachiko had entered the house. Sachiko, seeing the doctor, had suggested that she leave, but Miki had grabbed hold of her hand before she could turn.

"You are as much a part of this family as anyone, Sachiko-chan," she said with a just a hint of a smile, "and you are my daughter's most important person. I wouldn't think of excluding you from this. After all, it was your phone call that tipped us off that there may be a problem in the first place. No, you need to be here and, more importantly, Yumi needs you to be here."

Sachiko had relented and allowed Miki to drag her to a place on the couch next to Yumi. Yumi had immediately grabbed her hand and entwined her fingers with her own. Sachiko gave her a look that told her just how much she loved her and, impulsively maybe, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Yumi had been surprised that Sachiko would do such a thing in front of Yuuki and her parents, let alone a stranger, but Sachiko had simply squeezed her hand once and then held on tight. Yumi's parents knew of their relationship and, after some initial concern, had been fully supportive of the two. It was just one more reason she adored her family.

Yumi did remember the doctor saying that he had a friend, someone he had gone to medical school with and who was a frequent golfing partner, who was the Head of Hematology at Tokyo University Medical Center. He had already contacted the man who had immediately agreed to see Yumi the very next morning. The test results and a complete copy of Yumi's medical file had already been couriered to the hospital.

Both doctors had recommended a newly approved treatment that was extremely aggressive but had achieved a sixty percent or better success rate in all of the clinical trials. Watanabe-sensei had also thanked Sachiko for her alertness and quick thinking. As a result he thought that they had caught Yumi's condition in the very early stages and that the chance for a full recovery was high.

Yuuki had even offered to be tested as a potential bone marrow transplant donor if it was ever needed.

Yumi turned onto her side and stared out the window thinking back to that calm, confident, and totally unselfish offer and the tears that she had somehow kept dammed up inside started to gently flow down her cheeks and across her nose. It started just as a sniffle and a soft whine but seemingly without any transition she found herself sobbing, unable to control her breathing or the sounds emanating from her throat.

Who was this that seemed to be screaming in her room? Who was it that was crying out into the night about the unfairness of it all? Who was it that was pounding the wall beside her bed, putting dozens of fist-sized dents into the drywall? Who was it that was sobbing uncontrollably until her parents and Yuuki came running through her bedroom door? Her mother and Yuuki gathered her into their arms and tried to keep her from thrashing about and further injuring herself. Yumi's father purposefully tangled her feet in her bed sheets so she couldn't continue to kick at anything or anyone that came into reach before he finally ended up having to sit on her legs.

It was over an hour before she finally cried herself to sleep. She still tossed and turned until she started dreaming of Sachiko. Her grande soeur and lover was dressed in a long evening gown of the deepest sapphire blue and her long, silky hair was shining in the night. Looking down at herself, Yumi realized that she was wearing the light blue gown that she and Sachiko had picked out for her the previous weekend. She lifted her hands and felt her own hair as it fell softly and freely to her shoulders with a very slight wave.

It was dark except for the light that shone down on the two of them. She could see neither walls nor ceiling nor floor, but a thick, soft and warm mist played about their ankles. Sachiko held out her hand and Yumi shyly took it with her own. Music started to play from somewhere in the background as Sachiko took her gently into her arms and started leading her around the open space, holding her close as they danced to the soft, swaying music of a small orchestra. Yumi couldn't determine exactly what the song was nor did it really matter to her. She was in the loving arms of her Sachiko, dancing slowly across the floor and there were tender and loving smiles on both of their faces.

Yumi allowed herself to fly freely. It had been so long since she had danced with Sachiko. Probably since the Yamayurikai production of _Cinderella_ her first year at Lillian; before she had become Sachiko's petite soeur; before she had become Rosa Chinensis en Bouton; before she had finally become Rosa Chinensis after Sachiko had graduated. She reveled in the closeness and touch of her lover, and laughed in delight as she was led from one dance into another, a warm, gentle breeze flowing through their hair as they moved and spun to the music.

This was all she had ever wanted; all she had ever needed. To be in the arms of the woman she loved more than anything else in the world.

A small smile creased her sleeping features as her family looked on with sad eyes.

"What are we going to do," Yuichiro asked his wife.

"We are going to everything we can – everything we have to – to support her and help her get through this. That is what we are going to do," she answered firmly but softly so as not to awaken her finally sleeping daughter.

Yuichiro nodded and looked over at his son who still held onto one of Yumi's hands. That grip had finally loosened from its original death grip. Yuuki nodded in agreement. "Whatever we have to do," Yuuki echoed his mother.

_And she dreams she's dancin' around and around without any cares_

_And her very first love is holding her close and the soft wind is blowing her hair_

The meeting with Oono-sensei, the Head of Hematology at Tokyo University Medical Center had gone about as Yumi had expected. He had reiterated everything that Watanabe-sensei had told her the previous day regarding the proposed treatment, although this time she listened more carefully. The plan was to initially run some differential diagnostic tests to validate the specific form of leukemia and then, based on the results, the aggressive use of specific chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation treatments. In the worst case, if there had been no major relief of the disease and its symptoms, they would then look into the possibility of a bone marrow transplant; however, if everything went as he expected it to Yumi should expect to live a long and healthy life with very little chance for relapse.

The differential tests were scheduled for that very afternoon and Yumi and her parents were on their way back home by early evening to await the results. Sachiko was waiting on their doorstep when the taxi dropped them off. Yumi ran and threw herself into Sachiko's arms and started crying again. The two girls went tumbling into the grass.

"Sa-Sa-Sa, chi-chi-chi," Yumi stuttered in her misery while Sachiko smoothed her hair and mumbled soothing words to her.

Yuuki came up the walk and looked down at the two primary girls in his life. "I guess you're 'Sa-chi' from now on," he said looking at Sachiko with a small smile.

Sachiko glared at him for a moment before simply shrugging her shoulders. "I don't mind; at least it isn't 'Sa-chan'," she said quietly as she continued comforting Yumi.

Yuuki knelt down by his sister. "Come on Yumi, time to get up," Yuuki whispered, "you don't want to make a spectacle of yourself in front of the neighbors," he finished.

Yumi immediately started hiccupping as she tried to control her crying and, with Yuuki's and Sachiko's help, got back to her feet and headed towards the front door. Yumi gave out a weak giggle, "'Sa-chi'? I kind of like that."

"I will get you one of these days Yuuki," Sachiko warned the boy that, she suddenly realized, she considered as close to her as any brother could be. She ended up finishing her warning with a warm smile, totally negating the stern words. Yuuki grinned at her and, on the spur of the moment, rubbed the top of her head.

"Sure you will. You and who else? Suguru-san? Don't make me laugh."

Sachiko stopped in the doorway about to kick her shoes off, looked at the young man, and couldn't help herself; she broke out laughing. There was just something about these Fukuzawa siblings that so endeared themselves to you that you ended up loving them. And despite the devastating news of the day before she was, for the moment, happy that it was so. She could think of no one better to help her look after Yumi than _her _younger brother.

The next two-and-a-half months were sheer hell for Yumi. Twice each month she underwent a radiation treatment while once every week, typically on a Friday so that she had an opportunity to recuperate over the weekend, Yumi found herself in a local medical clinic, strapped to a chair with bags of fluid attached to tubes and needles sticking out of her. Even with the assistance of an antiemetic she found herself throwing up most of the weekend and tired the rest of the week. She probably missed two or three days of school out of every week during that period. Luckily fall and winter classes for high school seniors were mostly no longer compulsory as students prepared for college entrance exams. Teachers were available to those students that found the need of their assistance in preparing for exams, but since Yumi had applied for and was fully expecting to be accepted to Lillian University, she was not missing much academically.

Another side effect of her treatments was that she ended up having to be much more careful and aware of how she moved in her surroundings and, therefore, was much less accident prone as a direct result of having to ensure that she did not damage her skin. The chemo treatments caused her to bleed more easily so having a cut or scrape became a serious issue for her. Finally, with the coming of winter, she had to be a lot more cognizant of staying bundled up and eating and resting properly since her immune system was compromised even with the use various immunotherapy drugs including Polysaccharide-K which someone told her came from some medicinal _mushroom!_

The biggest issue she had early on was whether or not to tell her friends. It had been Sachiko and Hiromi-san that had finally convinced her to let everyone in on the secret so that they could do what they could to help her and watch over her. Sachiko especially wanted to ensure that as many people as possible were watching out for Yumi when she could not be there herself, which was essentially any time she wasn't in class.

Sachiko had basically moved out of her mansion and into Yumi's room at the Fukuzawa's. She made sure that she was there if Yumi or Miki needed anything whatsoever. Her parents, Sayako and Tooru, had both promised that the full might of the Ogasawara Zaibatsu was at their disposal with absolutely no expectation or anticipation of any return favor or loss of face. As far as they were concerned Yumi was their daughter as much as she was Yuichiro's and Miki's and they wanted to do everything they could to ensure her quick return to health.

Having Sachiko with her almost 24 hours a day was the one benefit to the whole episode as far as Yumi was concerned. How they could become even closer than they had been Yumi had no idea, but they did. By the end of the first week of December Yumi honestly felt like a married woman – and she loved the feeling. From everything she could tell, and from their quiet talks together as they shared a bed at night, Sachiko felt the same way. They agreed that once Yumi felt better and was on her way back to health the first thing they would do was find a convenient apartment and move in together.

The morning of December 23rd started out as a typical Friday morning in the Fukuzawa household. At least it was typical inasmuch as it started out like any other Friday morning that they had "enjoyed" for the past two months. Sachiko had slipped out of bed making sure that she did not wake the still slumbering Yumi before she headed out for school. Since Yumi had her chemo sessions on Friday's Sachiko usually let her sleep in.

Later, as Yumi slowly came awake, she felt a bit groggier than usual, but otherwise normal; at least as normal as could be expected. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair before she had to cover her mouth to cover the yawn that was desperately trying to escape. Unfortunately, her nose tickled immediately and she ended up sneezing. With her eyes finally open, she glanced at her hand and froze where she sat before she turned her body so that she could look down at her pillow.

When Yuuki got up and headed for the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, he heard the quiet sobs coming from his sister's room. It wasn't the first time he had awakened to hearing her softly crying and it broke his heart every time. Instead of heading to the bathroom he turned around and headed for his parents room. He knocked quietly and, after hearing nothing, he slowly opened the door, making sure that they were still both in bed before he fully opened the door and stepped into the room.

He went to his mother's side of the bed and gently shook Miki's shoulder, quietly calling her name until her eyes finally opened.

"Mom, Yumi's crying again. You better go see what's up," he informed her, making sure that he did not wake his father.

"Mmm, ok, I'll be right there," his mother answered sleepily.

Yuuki left the room and continued on his aborted trip to the bathroom to start to get ready for school. Miki grabbed the robe out of the closet and pulled it on before heading towards Yumi's bedroom.

She heard Yumi's soft sobs as she approached the door. Something was different about these. Yumi had awoken many mornings crying quietly. She wasn't even sure herself why she cried those days, but she refused to take the antidepressants that the doctor had prescribed. Today's sobs however, at least to Miki's finely tuned "Mother's Ears," had a definite reason behind them. She held her breath as she quietly opened her daughter's door and took in the scene.

_SaraBeth is scared as she sits holding her mom _

_Cause it would be a mistake for someone to take a girl with no hair to the prom_

_For just this morning right there on her pillow was the cruelest of any surprise_

_Yet she cried when she gathered it all in her hands, the proof that she couldn't deny_

_SaraBeth closes her eyes_


	4. Chapter 4

Sachiko glanced at the caller ID on her cell phone and smiled. The first time that she realized that she had been fully accepted into the Fukuzawa family was when she had received a call from Miki asking her if she could stop by the grocery store and pick up a package of rice for the evening meal. Ever since that day she had gotten a little smile every time Miki called her.

"Miki-okaasan, how are you this morning," she answered the phone, completely foregoing her usual phone etiquette. Miki was family after all and would feel uncomfortable if she had to try to match the heavy etiquette that Sachiko had been raised under. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Sachiko-chan, can you come home? Yumi needs you," Miki asked in a tremulous voice.

"I-is Y-Yumi alright," Sachiko stammered.

"Physically, she's fine dear; but she needs you right now Sa-chi."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," Sachiko answered and hung up the phone before turning and running for her car.

It actually took less than fifteen minutes for her to come screeching into the Fukuzawa's driveway. The car had barely stopped moving before Sachiko had the door open and she was running towards the door. Yuichiro opened the door before she got there and stopped her before she could just rush up the stairs.

"She's fine Sachiko-san, so slow down, please. It will do us absolutely no good if you injure yourself or go running into that room in your current condition," he said calmly as he watched her kick off her shoes and put on her slippers. He took her by the arm and led her into the living room and forced her to sit on the couch. Miki came out of the kitchen with a cup of chamomile tea and put it into Sachiko's hand.

"Yumi," Sachiko asked.

"The one thing that she most feared has happened," Miki said calmly, taking a seat on the couch and taking Sachiko's hand into her own.

"Oh, no!" Sachiko gasped. "I didn't notice anything before I left this morning!"

"Neither did Yumi," Miki explained quietly, "until she ran a hand through her hair and ended up with a handful of brown locks. She saw more on her pillow after she sat up. By the time I found her she had used a brush and all of the rest had followed. Needless to say, she's pretty upset. She's refusing to go to her chemo therapy treatments this afternoon. We were hoping you might be able to talk some sense into her. All she keeps talking about is the ball tomorrow night."

Sachiko sighed. "I understand," she said nodding, thinking of the young girl upstairs. The loss of her hair had probably been one of Yumi's greatest fears. She hated the idea of having to wear a wig or having her friends see her like that. "I'll head upstairs in a moment and see what I can do. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Sachiko, Yumi has been looking forward to going to this ball with you for almost nine months," Miki said with a smile, "ever since Yuuki originally asked her to raise the possibility with the members of the Yamayurikai last April. It would absolutely kill her if she wasn't able to go with you. Is there any way that you can talk her into going? I know she would always regret it if she didn't."

"I'll try Miki-okaasan. I'll try. I think I have an idea, but it will require some help from you and Yuichiro-otousan," she said with a slight smile. "I also may have to resort to some 'tough love', and I will need you to back me up on it as well. Can you do that?"

"You know we'll do anything for our daughter, Sa-chi," Yuichiro answered for the both of them.

Sachiko was still getting used to the new diminutive form of her name, but from the lips of these people, it was like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter night. It was further proof of their love for her, and it warmed her heart like nothing else could. "Thank you. I'd better head up to see Yumi now," she said as she put her tea cup down on the low table in front of the couch, making sure that she put it on a coaster. Old habits die hard.

She knocked softly on the door to their bedroom. "Yumi, I'm coming in," she called.

"NO! DON'T! I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE ME LIKE THIS!" Yumi screamed through the closed door. Sachiko checked the knob and found it locked. She frowned but simply reached above the door frame to grab the small piece of metal that would allow her to pop the push-button style lock.

"Yumi, you can't keep me out and you know that I will see you eventually, so it's not like you are doing anything but delaying the inevitable," she called through the door.

"And," she added quietly as she unlocked the door and turned the knob, "you know I will love you whether you have hair or not. It's not your hair that I love, dummy, it's you" she said as she entered the room and saw Yumi curled up on their bed, her arms covering her head. Sachiko closed the bedroom door and walked slowly over to the bed. She sat and took her lover into her arms while Yumi threw her arms around her and started to sob. She let Yumi cry, stroking her now bare head and whispering into her ear. "So soft. So soft and beautiful."

"Eeehhh?"

"I mean it, Yumi. Your head feels so soft, and it _is_ beautiful," Sachiko whispered as she continued to stroke the curve of her beloved's bald skull.

"You're lying Sachiko! I'm ugly and there's nothing you can say differently," Yumi cried into her breast.

"Yumi, even during our worst times I have never in my life lied to you," Sachiko said sternly, "and I am not lying now. Hair or no hair, you _are_ beautiful."

"Maybe to you, but what about everyone else? How can I dare to show my face . . . my head . . . in front of my friends," she wailed.

"Oh for God's sake, Yumi!" Sachiko said with a raised voice, "What about them? Your _friends_ will love you no matter what you look like. _I_ love you no matter what you look like. Why the _hell_ would you care about what anyone else thinks?"

"You just don't understand Sachiko! You can't! You just can't!" Yumi sobbed.

"I can understand one thing young lady," Sachiko said coldly, "You have therapy this afternoon and you _will_ be going. And we have a date to go to a ball tomorrow evening. I'm going to go to the estate and pick up your gown and bring it back here tonight. I will then be going back to the estate so that I may finish up my own preparations and I will be back here to pick you up tomorrow evening. If you are not dressed and ready by the time I get here . . .". She left the remainder unsaid. She never _had_ lied to Yumi and she didn't intend to start now.

She left Yumi still crying on her bed. She looked back one last time and once again gathered her courage to close the door behind her. Leaving her lover in that condition was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

It didn't take long. Sachiko delivered Yumi's gown to the Fukuzawa home and spoke briefly to Miki, Yuichiro, and Yuuki before Yuuki hugged her tightly with tears in his eyes before she once again left the house that had, over the past few months, become more of a home to her than her parents estate had ever been.

Once she got back to the estate, she called in her maid and explained exactly what she needed. She handed her the piece of material that had been cut from the hem of Yumi's gown. The maid took the material and left the room with a short curtsy. Getting the seamstress to make what her mistress wanted was probably going to take all night and require the calling in of a few favors from fabric stores for making them open up again after already closing.

Sachiko then called for her mother and explained the situation. Sayako cried with her daughter for the sake of the child that she had come to so dearly love. When Sachiko then explained her plan Sayako was shocked but, with only a little thought smiled and agreed to help. She called her own hairdresser who agreed to meet them at the estate at nine o'clock the next morning. She didn't bother to tell her father any of her plans. He would only have tried to argue with her and she was in no mood for that. She had made her decision and that was that.

Sachiko pulled out her own gown and hung it on a stand that had been brought in for the purpose. She stood there looking at the gown before she tried it on one more time. It was not quite a duplicate of Yumi's although it shared the same silky material and basic clingy design. Where Yumi's was a light sky-blue, hers was a deep amethyst. The straps for her gown were thinner at the shoulder and flared out until they attached to the material covering the bust. The back was nowhere near as low as the one on Yumi's gown but the skirt sported a slit from the base of the hem to just above her knee. She added an amethyst necklace and earrings and then remembered to pull out a similar, matching necklace and earring set in deep blue tanzanite for Yumi to wear. Holding the jewelry in her hand it seemed to sparkle with its own inner fire.

She brushed her hair and then stood in front of the tri-fold mirror to gauge the effect. She smiled as she saw in the mirror that Sayako had returned and had been standing still behind her, marveling at the beauty that was her daughter. Sayako stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Sachiko's shoulder.

"You look very beautiful Sa-chi," she whispered. She had at first laughed at her daughter's new diminutive, but she quickly found herself using it when the two of them were alone. It was just one more way that Sayako felt closer not only to her own daughter, but to Yumi and her family as well. Now, on the eve of her daughter's true debut as Yumi's partner, she was so proud that she could hardly believe that the young woman standing in front of her was the same girl that had cried as a child until scolded that it was not "ladylike". Sachiko had had a very strict and rough upbringing in the Ogasawara household. Sayako had tried to shield her from the worst of it, but she had not been able to effectively change the too strong conservative nature of the Ogasawara men.

Now though, she looked upon not a child, not a girl, but a young woman that had finally taken control of her own life and, in one of her finest moments, had taken for herself another young woman to be by her side, both as her petite soeur and as her life partner.

"I'm very proud of you Sa-chi, you know that. But tonight . . . tonight you have surpassed all of my expectations. You truly are an amazing woman and I am very proud to have you as my daughter."

"Thank you mother," Sachiko replied with a soft smile, laying her hand on top of her mother's where it sat on her shoulder. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"Now, hang that up and go and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for both you and Yumi," Sayako admonished her daughter.

"Yes mother, and thank you again," Sachiko said before placing a soft kiss on her mother's cheek. "Get some sleep yourself. I'm going to need you to help me be strong for Yumi's sake."

Sayako just nodded and helped Sachiko unzip the gown before she took her leave.

Sachiko sighed as she hung the gown up on its hanger and smoothed out the material. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a difficult day all around.

When Sachiko arrived back at the Fukuzawa residence Miki had already called her to let her know that, after much crying and grousing, Yumi had finally been talked into putting her gown on. She walked up the sidewalk to the door and knocked. She had gotten in the habit of simply letting herself in, but tonight was special and she wanted to be sure that she made the right impression.

When Yuuki, already dressed in his tux and just about ready to head out to pick up Touko, opened the front door it was to see an absolutely ravishing sight. Sachiko stood in the doorway in an amazing ball gown with a matching shawl draped over her head and shoulders and wrapped around her to keep the chill off.

"Sa-chi, you look beautiful," he said in a quiet voice, "but you know you didn't have to knock. You could have just come in," he finished more normally as she knelt down and unbuckled the straps to her high heeled sandals. "Can I take your wrap? Yumi should be down in just a moment."

"No thank you Yuuki," she replied with a smile, "I'll keep it on a bit longer if you do not mind."

Yuuki shrugged and went to call up the stairs, "Yumi, Sa-chi's here."

"I'm coming," Yumi yelled down to her brother as Miki and Yuichiro came out of the kitchen, cameras in hand, to see their two girls before they headed out to the ball.

Yumi came to the top of the stairs and stared down at Sachiko with a pout. "Your being mean onee-sama," she complained as she slowly descended.

"Come on down Yumi and quit complaining," Sachiko chuckled as she took in the amazing sight of Yumi in her ball gown. Despite the recent hair loss, Yumi looked both sexy and adorable in the form-fitting gown. When Yumi lifted the hem to make sure she didn't trip on her way down, she caught a glimpse of slender ankles and tiny feet clad in stylish heels. The sight of her lover slowly descending the stairs like a delicate child brought a lump to her throat.

"I have a couple of gifts for you," Sachiko said with a gentle smile.

"Gifts?" Yumi asked as she finally reached the bottom step.

"Yes, gifts. First, here are the pieces of jewelry I promised you could use for tonight. In fact, I am giving them to you since," she giggled, "I know that I can borrow them back at any time if I ever need to."

Yumi's eyes widened as she looked in the now open display box at the tanzanite necklace and earrings, "Their beautiful! Are you sure that you don't mind letting me use them?"

"As I said, they are yours to keep," Sachiko said slightly exasperated, "and I don't want to hear any complaints.

"Secondly," she said as she pulled a large piece of gently folded fabric from her purse, "here is a shawl for your use. It exactly matches the color of your gown and you can wear it over your head to stay warm just like I am," she said quietly.

"Sachiko," Yumi said as her eyes began to tear, "thank you. You didn't have to do this."

"Actually, Yumi, yes I did. I wanted to be sure that we matched perfectly," she said as she reached up and removed the shawl that was covering her head.

Gasps could be heard throughout the room before all four of the Fukuzawa's started to gently cry.

Yumi slowly, tentatively reached out a trembling hand and gently touched Sachiko's head; her perfectly beautiful, soft, shaved head.

_It's a quarter to seven that boy's at the door _

_Her daddy ushers him in_

_And when he takes of his cap they all start to cry_

_Cause this morning where his hair had been_

_Softly she touches just skin_

"S-Sachiko . . . your hair . . . ," Yumi stammered.

"Well, you didn't think I could allow you to go to the ball making such a bold fashion statement by yourself do you?" Sachiko replied with a huff, "I do have my reputation in high society to uphold."

"But-but-but . . ."

"But what, Yumi? Please speak plainly," Sachiko softly chided her.

"I-it's just that . . ."

"I think what my scatterbrained and tongue-tied older sister is trying to ask Sa-chi," Yuuki tried to explain with a chuckle, "is 'what the heck do you think you're doing?' I, however, could care less since I know that you did it solely for her and," he took her in his arms and gave her a tight hug, "I love you for it."

"We all do," Miki echoed Yuuki's sentiments.

"Well I for one," Yuichiro said with a big grin and another hug for Sachiko while Yuuki ran his hand of Sachiko's bald pate, "think you look absolutely amazing."

If she had been hugged or touched like this by almost any other men in the world, Sachiko would have immediately frozen up in shock. But from these two men all she felt was the warmth of their love and caring. She smiled and hugged Yuichiro back as she had almost never hugged any other man in her life . . . and it felt good!

"Soft," Yuuki said with a smirk that nearly earned him a nose flick from Sachiko; except that she could figure out his intentions.

"He's right," Yumi said in wonder as she too ran her fingers over the tender skin of her lover's head, "and _you_ were right Sachiko, it _is_ very soft . . . a-and very b-beautiful."

"I thought told you, Yumi," Sachiko said turning to Yumi with a sweet smile, "I never have and I never will lie to you. _You_ are the most beautiful and desirable woman I have ever met – with or without hair. And I love you so very, very much" she finished in a whisper as she bent over slightly and placed a tender kiss on Yumi's head.

"I love you too Sa-chi," Yumi replied softly before taking her into a brief, tight embrace that said everything that her words could not. A tear started to form in Sachiko's eye before she wiped it away and gave Yumi a heart stopping grin.

"So, Yumi, are you ready to go? We don't want to be late." Sachiko asked as she held out her arm for Yumi to take.

"Yes, Sa-chi," Yumi replied with a giggle as she fixed her new shawl over her head and slid her arm in to clasp Sachiko's, "let's get going. I want to dance with you all night long."

"And I you, Yumi. And I you."

_They go dancing, around and around without any cares_

_And her very first true love is holding her close_

_And for a moment she isn't scared._

Notes: Any errors in the description of the medical processes depicted above are solely my own.

For those that are not familiar with it, the song is "Skin" performed by Rascal Flatts and written by Doug Johnson and Joe Henry.


End file.
